32X Metal Head Issues

[LynxVGL]

So back in the day ('95 I think, maybe '96) I picked up a copy of then new Metal Head, ran home and tossed it into my 32X. It then promptly failed to start and the next day I exchanged the cart for another and was soon on my way with unique pleasure of 32X Mecha action.

 

Cut to 2010. I put my copy of Metal Head in and it fails to start. I clean the contacts, all seems well, it just won't start. Black Screen, no Sega logo. All of my other 32X games start with no problem. So I pick up my 3rd copy on eBay and back to Metal Head we go.

 

So what is the deal with this title? Is it just me or does this cart die more often than others?

[+thegoldenband]

I've heard of problems with certain 32X games, especially Knuckles Chaotix which is mysteriously flaky on certain systems, but I'm unaware of any issues with Metal Head. Maybe it's just bad luck?

 

Either way, fun game. I enjoyed beating it earlier this year. You might send your copy as a freebie to someone, just in case they have better luck and it's some weird quirk of your system -- or alternatively, see if you can get it turned into a DarXide repro!

[LynxVGL]

I've heard of problems with certain 32X games, especially Knuckles Chaotix which is mysteriously flaky on certain systems, but I'm unaware of any issues with Metal Head. Maybe it's just bad luck?

 

Either way, fun game. I enjoyed beating it earlier this year. You might send your copy as a freebie to someone, just in case they have better luck and it's some weird quirk of your system -- or alternatively, see if you can get it turned into a DarXide repro!

I didn't know anyone was making DarXide repro's. Do you have a line on this?

[+thegoldenband]

I didn't know anyone was making DarXide repro's. Do you have a line on this?

 

I don't, unfortunately, though they've been made before. I know people have been asking MrMark & BeaglePuss to make them, but so far they haven't formally announced anything. I'd definitely be interested in getting one when they do become available!

[Austin]

An alternative to a repro of Darxide is playing it on a flash cart. It works great on my Everdrive.

 

It's a shame it's so rare and goes for so much money. It's a neat graphical showcase, but in reality it's not a great game. Not bad, but kind of like Spider Man, it's pretty average IMO. Maybe a lot of that is due to the iffy framerate, but I digress.

[Reaperman]

I don't know if it will help, but I used to have the knuckles problem. I wound up with 3 copies of the game thinking that they were all bad.

 

Then on a fluke, I swapped the genesis 2 unit for a different, more attractive, genesis 2 unit (same 32x) and everything worked great from then on. It doesn't make a lot of sense, but what ever does?

Edited April 5, 2012 by Reaperman

[LynxVGL]

An alternative to a repro of Darxide is playing it on a flash cart. It works great on my Everdrive.

 

It's a shame it's so rare and goes for so much money. It's a neat graphical showcase, but in reality it's not a great game. Not bad, but kind of like Spider Man, it's pretty average IMO. Maybe a lot of that is due to the iffy framerate, but I digress.

I played DarXide on an Emulator and was expecting a lot.. more. The Hype around the game had me anticipating a very different experience. Is there anything else to it besides basically being 3D Asteroids? Web of Fire is very meh in my opinion. Again not worth the crazy prices people are offering for a CIB copy for a game that just isn't very good (IMHO).

[Austin]

I played DarXide on an Emulator and was expecting a lot.. more. The Hype around the game had me anticipating a very different experience. Is there anything else to it besides basically being 3D Asteroids?

 

I'm not sure if it changes. I gave it about 30 minutes of play one day and it was just more of the same as the game went on. From what I have played it certainly could have been fleshed out more.

 

Web of Fire is very meh in my opinion. Again not worth the crazy prices people are offering for a CIB copy for a game that just isn't very good (IMHO).

 

I don't find it to be a bad game at all--it's got some cool features and relatively fast-paced gameplay. It's just (obviously) not worth the $150+ it goes for. For being one of the final (if not the last) 32X games released in the US, it wasn't particularly impressive at all either.

[+thegoldenband]

Did you find that DarXide was fiendishly hard? I didn't get past the first stage, but I didn't spend that long trying; others have noted, though, that it's very tough. Perhaps the NTSC speed-up (assuming that's in play) makes it tougher on a NA/JP system?

[Austin]

I'm not sure. If I ever get motivated to crack open my 32X and see what's wrong with it, I can check.

[ComputerSpaceFan]

I've heard of problems with certain 32X games, especially Knuckles Chaotix which is mysteriously flaky on certain systems, but I'm unaware of any issues with Metal Head. Maybe it's just bad luck?

 

Either way, fun game. I enjoyed beating it earlier this year. You might send your copy as a freebie to someone, just in case they have better luck and it's some weird quirk of your system -- or alternatively, see if you can get it turned into a DarXide repro!

I didn't know anyone was making DarXide repro's. Do you have a line on this?

 

Add me to the list of interested parties if there is a DarXide reproduction somewhere. (But it would need to work in North America unlike the original title)

[+thegoldenband]

Fortunately, making DarXide work on NTSC hardware is super-trivial -- you just need to change 1-2 bytes in the header. There's no other lockout or incompatibility, AFAIK.

[LynxVGL]

Did you find that DarXide was fiendishly hard? I didn't get past the first stage, but I didn't spend that long trying; others have noted, though, that it's very tough. Perhaps the NTSC speed-up (assuming that's in play) makes it tougher on a NA/JP system?

Once I got the controls down I didn't think it was that hard, just boring. And confusing.